Those are great videos I had not seen before. I have a 2006 WRX and I am a Subaru believer. I've drunk the Kool Aid. My Subie is the best car I've ever owned and I can't see myself ever buying anything but another Subaru. I'd like to get the XV but my WRX is still running great and I see no reason to get rid of it.

I continue to ingest the Kool Aid. I pulled the trigger on this one a few weeks ago...

I am very pleased with this car. It is everything I wanted it to be. It gets 28-30 mpg around town and I am eager to see how well it will do on an upcoming road trip. I have the automatic, and I have to laugh at the poster who claimed the car struggles to maintain 70 mph. This car has no problem cruising at speeds well north of that. It's comfortable, roomy, and smooth. A keeper..and another Subie success story.

I have to laugh at the poster who claimed the car struggles to maintain 70 mph.

I could see that maybe going over Loveland or Vail Pass on I-70 or through the Sierras on I-80. I have yet to drive the XV and it's still high on my list of potential replacements for my WJ in the future.

I've driven some 4cyl cars in the Mountains and sometimes if loaded up they do struggle going over those passes. So I wouldn't call complete bullshit yet.

I continue to ingest the Kool Aid. I pulled the trigger on this one a few weeks ago...

I am very pleased with this car. It is everything I wanted it to be. It gets 28-30 mpg around town and I am eager to see how well it will do on an upcoming road trip. I have the automatic, and I have to laugh at the poster who claimed the car struggles to maintain 70 mph. This car has no problem cruising at speeds well north of that. It's comfortable, roomy, and smooth. A keeper..and another Subie success story.

Good to know everyone's happy with their Crosstreks; it's a cool little car.

We drove two yesterday, one CVT and one stick (along with Buick Encore and Mazda3) and Guanowife really wanted to like them, but the road and engine noise was a deal-breaker. Salesman took us on his route which included a downhill "winding road so you can feel the great handling". I told him I also wanted to go back up the hill to see how the CVT performed (he didn't anticipate that) and it was very telling for us -- lotsa noise, at least more than the other cars we drove. Worth noting the 5spd was noticeably quieter, so a lot seems to be due to the CVT. Neat car otherwise; Guanowife even liked the interior and seats the best of everything we drove (and it'll be her daily driver). Salesman said if we really wanted quieter, we'd have to move up to the Legacy or Outback..... which starts the search criteria all over again.

Anyway, got me looking at used Outbacks (pre '10 style, thank you) and I've noticed a trend: Several of the 2.5L turbos ("The WRX motor!") have had their turbos replaced. Are they particularly problematic?

Also, what years and motors are susceptible to the head gasket problem, and when did they get fixed, if ever? For her driver, reliability and quietness far outweigh any HP advantages. Same for the 6cyl, assuming mileage is in the low 20's. But we do prefer a manual trans.

__________________Guano11Time flies like an arrow.Fruit flies like a banana.

Good to know everyone's happy with their Crosstreks; it's a cool little car.

We drove two yesterday, one CVT and one stick (along with Buick Encore and Mazda3) and Guanowife really wanted to like them, but the road and engine noise was a deal-breaker. Salesman took us on his route which included a downhill "winding road so you can feel the great handling". I told him I also wanted to go back up the hill to see how the CVT performed (he didn't anticipate that) and it was very telling for us -- lotsa noise, at least more than the other cars we drove. Worth noting the 5spd was noticeably quieter, so a lot seems to be due to the CVT. Neat car otherwise; Guanowife even liked the interior and seats the best of everything we drove (and it'll be her daily driver). Salesman said if we really wanted quieter, we'd have to move up to the Legacy or Outback..... which starts the search criteria all over again.

Anyway, got me looking at used Outbacks (pre '10 style, thank you) and I've noticed a trend: Several of the 2.5L turbos ("The WRX motor!") have had their turbos replaced. Are they particularly problematic?

Also, what years and motors are susceptible to the head gasket problem, and when did they get fixed, if ever? For her driver, reliability and quietness far outweigh any HP advantages. Same for the 6cyl, assuming mileage is in the low 20's. But we do prefer a manual trans.

Dude, the Crosstrek, LOADED is $28k , with AWD. If you want a quiet AWD wagon, you need to bump up your spending limit about $10k for an Audi... The Crosstrek to me, seems to be a throw your wet dog in the back, camp gear and no worries. YouTube had a very cool vid on the Crosstrek vs a Land Rover Defender- it was pretty amazing... I would have no issues taking that noisy Subies down Saline Valley Rd to Death Valley.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPq4kv9k7E

My 'trek lease was cap'd at $23K. Very happy indeed, of course it's a 5spd manual.

Drove the CVT on my first test drive because the dealer didn't have a stick. Drove the 5spd in a stanadard Imprezza just to see how the power and shifting was. It's a very sorted trans, much better than the stick I had in a new-style Scion XB. It's a much more solid car than the 'yota as well. After testing the drivetrains I then decided which Crosstrek I really wanted (desert khaki stick) and got online and found one up in Puente Hills. I did not care for the auto trans, have never liked CVT's. Although I didn't really notice it was real noisy, but yes more so than the manual trans.

You have to keep in mind this is an economy car - it's not loaded with sound deading material like a Audi or Benzo. Doesn't cost like one either. I had a GLK350 for almost three years, and although it was a very nice car to drive, it didn't ride much better than the subie, it wasn't that much quieter, but the worst thing was 18.5mpg on premium fuel over 22K miles. Geez. And a payment of almost $500. The 'trek saves me at least a couple of hundred a month, tows my bike trailer, and tows behind the motorhome. After four months I'm liking it even more, this one's a keeper. Even if it's gutless and noisy.

You have to keep in mind this is an economy car - it's not loaded with sound deading material like a Audi or Benzo. Doesn't cost like one either. I had a GLK350 for almost three years, and although it was a very nice car to drive, it didn't ride much better than the subie, it wasn't that much quieter

Man I hear ya! My wife's (growing) criteria are: Quiet, small, economical, reliable, good outward visibility, somewhat elevated ground clearance and "appropriately luxurious". (Actually, her initial criteria was "quiet"; the rest came up after test drives revealing "not enough of this or that....). I'm not sure such a car exists! Even the Lexus CT200h had a fair amount of road noise. And yes, I spend some time in the back of a Mercedes E-Class taxi a week ago and have to say that noise-wise, it was just like any other cab.

Wonder if a good stereo installation shop could Dynamat the crap out of a Crosstrek with good results.....

__________________Guano11Time flies like an arrow.Fruit flies like a banana.

Man I hear ya! My wife's (growing) criteria are: Quiet, small, economical, reliable, good outward visibility, somewhat elevated ground clearance and "appropriately luxurious". (Actually, her initial criteria was "quiet"; the rest came up after test drives revealing "not enough of this or that....). I'm not sure such a car exists! Even the Lexus CT200h had a fair amount of road noise. And yes, I spend some time in the back of a Mercedes E-Class taxi a week ago and have to say that noise-wise, it was just like any other cab.

Wonder if a good stereo installation shop could Dynamat the crap out of a Crosstrek with good results.....

Sound deadening - yes. I did a trailer hitch install and wiring on both GLK and 'Trek. You can see where mercedes spends the extra monies on build quality, sound deadening, better materials, etc. That's why they cost twice as much.

When I first got mine the tinny doors bothered me - I was used to the benzo closing like a vault. So I was going to remove door panels and apply sound deadening at least around the handles, maybe do wheel wells, etc. Hell, the manual trans model doesn't even come with a hood pad - only the cvt for it's extra buzzi-ness. But here I am four months in and it's moreorless forgotten. You get used to little things that annoyed you in the beggining. I will tell you the factory nav in them is pretty much universally panned, but comes with the sunroof and leather, so if you want the latter you get the former. Can't get any of that stuff with the stick.

Don't let her drive the Mercedes or Audi unless you are prepared to pony up for the bigger $$. They are all in the mid-40's and up from there. They are nice, but you need the income or cash to back the purchase. And they have their problems, and can be quite expensive to keep running out of warranty.

Wifey likes her convertibles here in so-Cal. She likes to drive in the heritage day parade every year, hauling some kind of celebrity or dignitary. We had a 325Cic for 8 years, an 01, had 114K when we sold it. Fantastic car, but I spent thousands just on parts keeping it in tip-top shape. It would burn through $800 in tires and $500 in brakes every 15-18K miles. And that's just the beginning.

She wanted a new one but $55K was out of the question. I almost had her talked into a new 328 sedan and then suggested a Mercedes C250 coupe. Has the new turbo-4 in it, gets 26mpg with almost 300hp. Her dream was to drive a benzo (I've had 6 of them) so that's what she got. It stickered for $40K and has a 4 cylinder. With staggered 18's it rides hard, and the suspension is very firm. It's quiet and luxurious and a lot less money than the bimmer 'vert. She's happy and I'm happy. Residuals are very high on them, and MBZ Bank NA does the leases, so payments are low - we bought down the cap with some money from selling the old bimmer, $325/mo on a lease. If it's a good car at 3 years we'll buy it out. If not, it goes back.

I prefer to lease a car. It's like a 3-year test drive. If you like it you buy it, if not you give it back. Take the tax deduction for business use and write everything off. No down, low payments, pick up the balance at the end if you like it. I find residuals are set for at or below wholesale at the end so if you buy it you get it under-market, if you sell it outright you should have some equity. I was able to trade off my GLK after 30 months on a 3-year lease, no issue. I think the Subaru guys were a little surprised trading in a Mercedes Benz for a Subaru. But then it was gonna need $1200 for tires (Continental 19's) so I just put that into inception fees on the new Crosstrek. My payments went from $468 to $334. Wifey liked that too. We went from 2 six cylinder cars to fours, both with about 25% better fuel economy.

Man I hear ya! My wife's (growing) criteria are: Quiet, small, economical, reliable, good outward visibility, somewhat elevated ground clearance and "appropriately luxurious". (Actually, her initial criteria was "quiet"; the rest came up after test drives revealing "not enough of this or that....). I'm not sure such a car exists! Even the Lexus CT200h had a fair amount of road noise. And yes, I spend some time in the back of a Mercedes E-Class taxi a week ago and have to say that noise-wise, it was just like any other cab.

Wonder if a good stereo installation shop could Dynamat the crap out of a Crosstrek with good results.....

no one has mentioned TDI in a while.

test drive some VW's. i have the golf TDI. definitely quiet and solid little car. mine might be for sale, depending on how i feel that day.

no one has mentioned TDI in a while. test drive some VW's. i have the golf TDI. definitely quiet and solid little car. mine might be for sale, depending on how i feel that day.

I like the TDI's.....a lot.
She's diesel-averse, however. Plus, her driving will consist of a lot of short hauls, which favors hybrid over diesel. Tiguan is on our list, though I think she'll find it too big (like the Acura RDX she's already stricken from the list).

__________________Guano11Time flies like an arrow.Fruit flies like a banana.

I decided to just check how it feels to have a dirt bike on hitch carrier with my xv. I had it for few months now, and it's really good for the money.
BTW - I am planning to use a trailer, that was a quick test drive. It feels fine, I can carefully drive it to a local dirt bike place if needed. But probably wouldnt go cross country. I installed 2" hitch.